SNMMI President Sally Schwarz, MS, RPh, BCNP, is a co-commissioner on The Lancet Oncology’s Moonshot Commission, representing SNMMI and Washington University. This commission was launched in October in response to the White House Cancer Moonshot, which was announced in January 2016. The Moonshot is doubling national efforts and resources to develop cancer cures.

The Lancet Oncology’s Moonshot Commission, established in consultation with the White House, will build on a report issued by the Blue Ribbon Panel that advised the U.S. National Cancer Advisory Board on the opportunities that could be accelerated under this billion-dollar initiative. That report sets out 10 broad recommendations for advancing our understanding of cancer biology and identifying new, more effective means of cancer prevention and treatment.

The Commission will explore more deeply the underlying cancer burden and research landscape in the U.S., the initial impact of the Moonshot initiative on research activities and collaborations, and propose specific research and funding priorities to help accelerate Moonshot plans.

It is led by Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, deputy director, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Chi Van Dang, MD, PhD, director, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania. The Commission is composed of oncology research leaders across the nation, representing such institutions as the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Fred Hutchison Cancer Center, MIT, Stanford University, and other major hospitals and universities. International leaders in the field are represented by Peter Naredi, MD, PhD, president of ECCO (European Cancer Organization), University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and Richard Sullivan, MD, PhD, director, Institute of Cancer Policy, Kings College, London, England.

Schwarz is providing the Commission with insight on the key role of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging in the battle to defeat cancer.

Funding for the Moonshot Initiative will soon be available. The 21st Century Cures compromise legislation, which includes funding for the Cancer Moonshot, has passed the House and is is coming up for vote in the Senate next week.